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arbitral

American  
[ahr-bi-truhl] / ˈɑr bɪ trəl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to an arbiter or to arbitration.


arbitral British  
/ ˈɑːbɪtrəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to arbitration

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does arbitral mean? Arbitral is used to describe things related to or involving arbitration—the process in which two parties in a dispute use an independent, impartial third party to settle the dispute, often by making a decision that they both agree to. For a process to be considered arbitration, it must involve an impartial third party, which can be a single person or a team of people. This person or team is called an arbitrator. To act as this arbitrator is to arbitrate. The term arbitration is typically used in the context of negotiations between businesses and labor unions as well as in international disputes. When two sides can’t agree and negotiations are unproductive, they may seek to pursue arbitration by bringing in an arbitrator. In these contexts, arbitral is often used in phrases like arbitral decision and arbitral award (a monetary or other award decided upon by an arbitrator). Arbitral can also be used to describe something involving an arbiter, which generally refers to any person who has been assigned the role of settling a dispute or rendering a decision on an issueExample: The arbitral award resulting from the arbitration process is still controversial.

Etymology

Origin of arbitral

1600–10; (< Old French ) < Late Latin arbitrālis. See arbiter, -al 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr Bloom told BBC News that Pegasus emphatically disputed "any allegations of misconduct" and said they were "addressing the clearly flawed arbitral findings through established legal processes".

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2025

Boehringer said it had taken note of the arbitral tribunal’s decision and would not comment further.

From Reuters • Jun. 20, 2023

Natalie Cerny, a spokesperson for Afiniti, said in a statement on Tuesday that the company had investigated Spottiswoode’s claims “with independent counsel and concluded that the arbitral decision she references was erroneous.”

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2021

“The final arbitral decision cannot be considered to be legal and grounded,” a government legal source told the news service.

From Washington Times • Jul. 29, 2021

These quarrels regarding the claims of rival unions reveal the weakness of the Federation as an arbitral body.

From The Armies of Labor A chronicle of the organized wage-earners by Orth, Samuel Peter